Feeling the weight and sting of grief, family and friends gathered Friday night at a makeshift memorial in Fitchburg for Jeremiah Oliver, the 5-year-old boy whose remains police believe were found in a suitcase Friday morning in Sterling.

On Saturday, the state medical examiner's office will view the remains of a child found Friday morning off Interstate 190 to determine if they are those of the missing boy.

The Fitchburg child has been missing since September. At a press conference Friday in front of Worcester County Superior Court, District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said the remains were found about 40 feet off the highway in an area near where grass cutting is conducted.

"The body is consistent with the height and weight of that of Jeremiah Oliver, the 5-year-old boy who has been missing since September," he said.

Mr. Early said the clothed body was found wrapped in a blanket in a suitcase off the southbound lane of the road beyond exit 6. He would not say how police found the remains.

Sources told the Telegram & Gazette that a tip about the location of the boy's body came from a person incarcerated at the Worcester County Jail in West Boylston. Superintendent David Tuttle of the Worcester County Sheriff's Department declined to comment and referred questions to the district attorney. A spokesman for the district attorney would not confirm the source of the tip.

Mr. Early said the death is being investigated as a possible homicide. He would not say if there were any apparent injuries or how long he thought the young victim had been there.

"I can't speculate on that," he said.

Friday at the Fitchburg memorial that searchers have maintained for months in a vacant lot across the street from the apartment building in which Jeremiah and his siblings lived with their mother, there was a large pile of stuffed animals. Candles were lit on a table around a Bible opened to Jeremiah 29:13.

"It says, 'If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me," said Fitchburg resident Judy E. Reardon, who has searched for the boy with Team Jeremiah every week since December.

She and others said they felt it was disturbing that the body of a small child discarded off the side of the highway was found on Good Friday — the day Christians commemorate the Crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. Those at the memorial Friday night all said they believed the body found was that of Jeremiah.

Ms. Reardon said she and others on the team were out Friday morning searching on Westminster Hill Road in West Fitchburg when she got a call from a friend who said the group needed to head to Interstate 190.

"We knew. We knew," she said looking down. "I was at the grave of a friend's 10-year-old daughter this morning, and I asked God, 'If he is with you, please give us a sign.' We're happy he was found, but sad they had to find him like this.

"There was always hope he was still alive. It has got to be him. There is no other boy missing in this area."

Police became involved in Jeremiah's disappearance in December after the boy's sister told school personnel that he was missing.

Five people have since been charged in the case. The boy's mother, Elsa Oliver, 28, of 276 Kimball St., is facing two counts of reckless endangerment of a child and two counts of accessory after the fact of a felony (assault and battery with a dangerous weapon).

Alberto L. Sierra, 22, of 164 Meadowbrook Lane, Ms. Oliver's boyfriend, is facing two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (knife) and two counts of assault and battery on a child causing bodily injury.

In March, police also charged Mr. Sierra's brother and two others in the case. Christian Sierra, 21, Mr. Sierra's brother, and Cailey Thibault, 23, both of 156 Summer St., Apt. 8; and Ashley M. Cormier, 24, of 95 Heywood St. are charged under the intimidation of a witness statute. The three allegedly made cellphone calls and held a clandestine meeting with the child's mother and her boyfriend. Court papers say the meeting was captured on a surveillance video. Since his arrest, Alberto Sierra has been held at the Worcester County Jail. It could not be determined Friday night if his brother, Christian, was also still being held at the jail.

The child's disappearance has had repercussions with the state Department of Children and Families, which found itself under heavy scrutiny over how it handled the cases involving Jeremiah and his brother and sister. Three DCF employees were fired, including the area program manager, for their handling of the case.

In a statement issued after the district attorney's press conference, Gov. Deval L. Patrick said, "What we know right now is that a young child has died, and that the body has been disposed of in a heartless way. As we wait news about the child's identity, as governor and as a parent, I feel deep sadness."

"As we wait for the autopsy results, the Fitchburg community extends support and sympathy for 5-year-old Jeremiah Oliver and his loved ones," she said.

Fitchburg and Sterling police and representatives from the Worcester County Sheriff's Department joined the district attorney and state police at the press conference. Mr. Early said the departments are working together on the case and police were continuing to canvass the area where the body was found for other leads.

Extensive efforts were made through the winter by police and volunteers to find the missing child. Numerous weekend searches were conducted.

Mr. Early said Jose Oliver, Jeremiah's father, was contacted in New Britain, Conn., to let him know what police had found. Mr. Early said Mr. Oliver was told only what was also revealed at the press conference.

Rose Valcourt of Worcester, Jeremiah's aunt, said, "It's just frustrating not knowing if it is him," she said. "It's really taken a toll on us."

Ms. Valcourt said police told them they were 80 percent sure the body is Jeremiah's. She said Jeremiah's father is expected to go to Boston Saturday to help the medical examiner's office with the identification.

Ms. Valcourt was at Leominster Hospital Friday afternoon with her husband, Sandrino Oliver, who was overcome with grief after visiting the memorial set up for the missing boy in front of his home on Kimball Street.

A candlelight vigil is planned at the Kimball Street memorial Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Among the many searchers over the months, Shelley M. Martin, 34, said, "This makes you want to grab hold of your children and hug them and not let go. This could have been prevented."

Linda Bock of the Telegram & Gazette staff contributed to this story.

Contact Paula Owen at paula.owen@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @paulaowenTG.Contact George Barnes at george.barnes@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @georgebarnesTG.

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